Who Went First?

[sail7seas]

A question in another thread about getting an old cruise credited by Mariners Society got me wondering.......

 

How far back does anyone here go with HAL?

 

That poster sailed May, 1966. Did anyone here sail with HAL before that?

 

Our first HAL cruise was either 1991 or 1992.... I don't remember now.

[kazu]

I have heard some incredible stories both onboard and now and then here.

 

One of our cruises on board one person did one of the old transatlantics on I believe the old Amsterdam many, many years ago on a TA with their parents. I think that dated back just after the depression. They didn't start sailing HAL again until many years later (probably round 1990 or so). I think they were 2 when they sailed and they had a mariner number:D

 

 

My cruise only went back to 1987 - but they found me:D

 

What's nice is they do - find us that is:D

[cruz chic]

I beat you both. My first cruise with Hal was in 1984.

[RuthC]

From some posts I've seen, and some people I know, I'm a relative newcomer to HAL. My first HAL cruise, also my first-ever cruise, was in June 1978.

[sail7seas]

I'm so glad I asked....... this is fun. :)

[aliaschief]

Rookies 2007!

[shrimp56]

My first cruise was on the old Statendam in 1982..she had been sold to Paquet and renamed Rhapsody. The spaciousness of the staterooms and the ship in general made me want to try HAL sometime. Unfortunately a few ships intervened and my first HAL cruise was last summer on ms Volendam. Interestingly enough both mentioned cruises were to Alaska and the old Statendam was grandfathered into Glacier Bay so we didn't miss that!

[BeagleOne]

Old Volendam, 1980, NYC to Bermuda on an astronomy cruise. Including Isaac Asimov!!!!!

 

The porthole glass in our cabin was removable, and there was a bizarre little deck extension off the stern; you could walk out and see almost the entire length of the ship (and nearly get blown away). I have a picture of my brother sticking his head and arm out the porthole and waving.

 

On the way back we hit 50-knot winds and 30-foot waves. My brother and I spent most of that day fighting over the bathroom. But I felt REALLY sorry for the people on the old Statendam as we passed them; they had engine and stabilizer problems and were going about half our speed.

 

My parents, who NEVER get seasick, went to the lecture of the day. The lecturer was lying on his back on the stage because that was the only position in which he wouldn't get sick. He had a wooden pointer and had a bit of difficulty aiming it at the right parts of the screen.

 

That same lecturer spent a lot of time watching the Bugs Bunny cartoons that the staff were showing for the kids (there wasn't a specific kids' club). I will never forget him sitting cross-legged on the floor, saying the lines from the cartoons ("Easter greetings!"), and giggling.

 

Years later, my parents were on a Hawaiian eclipse cruise and the same guy was the eclipse and weather expert. It was cloudy that day and he directed the captain to one of the few places where the clouds parted enough to see the eclipse. None of the people on Mauna Kea saw it, sadly.

[SJSULIBRARIAN]

Our first cruise with HAL was to Alaska in September 1978 on the Prinsendam (the one that eventually sank in the Gulf og Alaska - we were not on it then). Our next cruise with HAL was not until 2005 on the current Ryndam. In between, we did land tours to Hawaii, Europe, and Australia.

[cruisinjudy]

We don't go back nearly so far. Our first HAL cruise was on Statendam in 2002 when we retired.

[C&Sun]

My husband whose mother was a travel agent sailed on the Rotterdam helping to escort some teenagers to Amsterdam from New York in 1960 when he was 18 years old.

[wander]

My first HAL cruise was in 1992 on the then Noordam. However, my first trans-Pacific passenger ship cruise was in 1963 and I went on several more cruises in the 1970s and 1980s on other lines, like Royal Viking and Princess.

 

I was hooked on cruising in 1963 but things like money, school, money, work, money, marriage, money... kept getting in the way of more cruising. In the mid 80s we got serious about cruising and finding the money to see the world and enjoy life, by cruise ships and land travel. I feel very fortunate!!!

[PathfinderEss]

First Hal cruise was 1996 on the Ryndam but cruised about 10 years before that on the Assure Seas.

[c-cruise]

First HAL cruise was in 1989 on the previous Westerdam. I remember that ship seemed gigantic at the time compared to the Sitmar ships we had previously sailed on. Then we sailed on her again in 1991 and she had been lengthened and was even larger!

[Mary Ellen]

Our first HAL cruise was in 1980. DH had already cruised a number of times before then but only remembers the name of one ship, not a Dam ship. He'd done 3 trans-Atlantics by the time he was 2 1/2 yrs old. The trans-Pacific cruises were before he started 1st grade. He was older (5th or 6th grade) when he did the Hawaii cruise, that's the only one he remembers the name of the ship.

[Krazy Kruizers]

1996 - Maasdam -- Baltic

[RetiredMustang]

1996 - Noordam III - Western Caribbean.

 

Dave

[sail7seas]

My parents sail Rotterdam V when she was a new ship. I'd have to check the date but I think it was around 1962. My grandmother sailed the world for years in the fifties.

 

[Randyk47]

1995 on the Ryndam. It was a 10-day Southern Caribbean cruise.

[rafinmd]

First overnight at sea: Alaska Ferry Matanuska Ketchikan to Skagway 1990

First cruise ship: Carnival Fantasy 1993

First HAL Rotterdam V Alaska 1997

 

Roy

[George C]

I sailed Hal 1st in 1977 on the great Rotterdam.

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

May 16, 1966 - Statendam/TA - :)

 

... so far, it's my only HAL cruise!

 

 

Apparently three of us had already been assigned past guest numbers in their system owing to many Carnival sailings, but at least now there is a "history"!

 

Tom

[durangoscots]

First trip with HAL..... Transatlantic on Veendam in 1937. Don't remember it but i was there.

 

Susan

[rafinmd]

May 16, 1966 - Statendam/TA - :)

 

... so far, it's my only HAL cruise!

 

 

Apparently three of us had already been assigned past guest numbers in their system owing to many Carnival sailings, but at least now there is a "history"!

 

Tom

 

Are you now going to add HAL to your signature?

 

Roy

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

Are you now going to add HAL to your signature?

 

Roy

 

Good question! (one I've bounced around myself :) )

 

Tom